Powerful Tour Guide!

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”

(John 16:13)

The Greek word for “guide” is hodegeo and this word can be translated as “tour guide or coach”.

Now what does a coach or tour guide do? A coach is someone who teaches us how to do certain things. He is not the one that does it for us; he teaches us how to do it for ourselves. For example, a soccer coach teaches us how to kick the ball, but he does not kick the ball for us. A cricket coach tells us how to hit the ball, but he does not hit the ball for us. A hurdle coach teaches us how to jump those hurdles, but he does not jump the hurdles for us. Therefore, in all these illustrations the truth should become clear: the coach is the one who teaches us how to perfect something, and he gives the instructions because he is an expert in his field of coaching.

The difference between a good athlete and an average one is application of the information that has been taught. This means that the coach alone will not get the athlete fit. No! The athlete has a part to play as well. He must eat healthily, do regular exercises, listen to his coach, and practise as many times as needed to perfect the instructions given. Athletes learn very quickly that they need to work at it before they will reach success. If the athlete does not play his part, the coaching will be unsuccessful.

When applied to Holy Spirit, it denotes that He is our Coach in life. As our Coach, He is an expert in all fields of life; whether it be finances, health, marriage, business, child-rearing or relationships. He is an expert in all areas. More than that, Holy Spirit has been in the past, He is in the present and He is also in the future. Therefore His guidance can be trusted because He leads in truth. Jesus calls Him “the Spirit of Truth” in the following passages:

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father – the Spirit of truth – who goes out from the Father – he will testify about me.” (John 15:26)

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” (John 16:13)

Within three chapters, Jesus calls Holy Spirit “the Spirit of Truth” three times. It is as if He wanted to drive the revelation deep into the disciples’ hearts. We can trust Him; He is “the Spirit of Truth”. We can follow Him; He is “the Spirit of Truth”. We can let Him coach us; He is “the Spirit of Truth”. Jesus repeated this important truth so that the disciples and we could clearly understand that Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of Truth” and therefore He can be followed and trusted. He is our Coach because He is Truth.

”When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:1-4)

In this scripture the disciples experienced the fulfilment of the words spoken by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Just after His resurrection, Christ gave the disciples a command to stay in Jerusalem until they had received power from above: “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49)

“On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:4-5)

The disciples needed to wait for the empowerment “from above” before they could continue with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Be reminded at this juncture that Jesus came to express the Kingdom of God. He demonstrated this Kingdom and so His disciples were instructed to continue the message of the Kingdom which included the Good News of Jesus Christ. One can word it to say: the context of the Kingdom of God is the New Testament, the vehicle is the church, and the message is the Good News of Jesus Christ. Jesus knew and understood that the disciples would not be able to perform this duty without empowerment “from above”. The Greek word for “clothed”, as stated in “stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high”, is the Greek word enduo. This word denotes the meaning “to get dressed in something or to put on something”. An illustration would be that of a man getting dressed by putting on a jacket or a blazer. Therefore, the disciples waited in the Upper Room to be “dressed from above”, or “empowered from above”.

And so, the day came when they were all gathered together in unity and in prayer when Holy Spirit showed up “suddenly” and all of them present were baptized as flames of fire rested on each of them. As soon as they were baptized the evidence of that baptism came forth as they started to speak in unknown languages, declaring the goodness and praises of God. Soon after that initial evidence was experienced, the second proof followed as the disciples became witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ when Peter stood up to address the crowd.

The church was birthed in a place of intimacy, unity and power. They witnessed to a dying and needy world. I strongly believe that when the church age ends, it will end in a similar manner. Where the church will burn brightly, witnessing in signs and wonders about a living Jesus who died for them all.

Whenever I read this text in Acts 2, it amazes me when I recognize the change that had taken place in the disciples’ lives, especially that of Peter. Just before the crucifixion, Peter denied the Lord Jesus Christ when servant girls and other people asked him whether he wasn’t one of Jesus’ disciples. Peter was afraid and faint-hearted, although he had a loud mouth.  He saved himself when he was pushed into a corner. After the baptism of Holy Spirit something drastically changed in Peter. He was transformed from the inside out as Holy Spirit took residence inside of him. We must remember that it was a mere 50 days after the resurrection of Christ when Peter stood up boldly in front of the same people who called for Jesus’ crucifixion, and he preached to them the Good News, which required repentance and a change of heart. Now that is transformation of the God-kind…..from Simon the reed who was swayed as the winds of pressure blew on him, to Peter the rock, the captain of the disciples, bold and fearless for the King.

We read about this in Acts 2:1-41, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him: “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord:“Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”  “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”

The Book of Acts ends in a strange way. Many scholars and commentaries say it is an open-ended book, which means that there is still work that needs to be done when the book ends. The task or mission has not been completed, and if looked at closely, the place where the disciples finished, is where the church started.

Jesus said the following, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

The word “nations” is the Greek word ethnos. It is where we get the word “ethnic” from. In Greek, this word always describes Gentile nations. However, it doesn’t only refer to nations that are geographically distant from us; it also expresses the idea of different customs, cultures, and civilizations. This undoubtedly means that the Gospel is to be taken to people from every culture, custom, civilization, race, colour, or ethnicity in the world.

One man has translated Matthew 28:19 to read as follows: “Go ye therefore and teach all ethnic groups, invading every race, every skin colour, and every nation with its different customs and culture — ultimately taking this Gospel into every civilization that exists in the world.”

In Mark 16:15, Jesus used a different word to tell us who we are to “target” with the Gospel message. He said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

The word “world” in this verse is from the Greek word kosmos. This is very significant, because the word kosmos describes anything that is ordered. In Greek it is often used to denote “a particular political system; a system of fashion; a system found in any part of society, such as a circle of friends; or any sphere where you live and have influence”. An example of these world systems may be the place where you work.

“Going into all the world” may mean going to your fellow workers that you see and talk to daily. The system Jesus is sending you to may be the school you attend and the circle of friends you have there. Perhaps Jesus is telling you to take the Gospel into the special clubs or societies to which you belong; or maybe He is calling you to invade your circle of friends, whom you cherish and enjoy, with the saving message of the Cross.

Any of these examples could be your personal kosmos – the place where you live, function, and have influence in other people’s lives. This means that we, as the Light of the world, as the church, should continue the message of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. We should spread the Good News as far as we can, in all areas of our influence and beyond. We must allow the Holy Spirit to work through us and in us in order for this chief objective to be accomplished. It is now clear why we need His power and His guidance, for without it we would be completely hopeless in our effort.

 

This EXTRACT was taken from my book, “Parakletos Power” 

 

 

PRAYER:

Father God, I recognize that without the guidance and empowerment of Holy Spirit, the task and mission at hand would be futile. Fill me with the Power which is from above; guide me daily in all areas of my life so that I may have maximum output and input for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. I pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen

 

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